Think and Grow Rich and Napoleon Hill

[Dennis Ng]

I read "Think and Grow Rich" in 1999, a year after I decided to leave the bank and strike out on my own. As I look back on my journey since 1999 to now, I realised alot of it was influenced by Napoleon Hill's teachings.

Recently, I came to know more about Napoleon Hill's teachings and the origins, and I've come to this conclusion that Napoleon Hill's works is the result of perhaps the most comprehensive research on success ever done in the past, now and in future.

Why?
Napoleon Hill's research on Success all started when he as a young reporter at the age of 25, had the opportunity to interview Andrew Carnegie in 1908, the Richest industralist in the world then, (who founded the largest steel company in the world ).

This supposedly 3 hour interview with Andrew Carnegie stretched to 3 days and nights. At the end of the interview, Andrew Carnegie asked Napoleon Hill if he would undertake the task of researching on success that would probably require 20 years without any pay.

What would your answer be if you were Napoleon Hill?

I'm sure glad Napoleon Hill said yes. Thereafter, Andrew Carnegie helped arranged for Napoleon Hill to meet and analyse more than 500 most successful people alive then.

These 500 people included Henry Ford (Founder of Ford Motor), John D. Rockefeller, U.S President Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Edison (the famous inventor who invented the light bulb amongst many other inventions, Alexander Graham Bell (who invented the phone), William Wrigley Jr (founder of Wrigley chewing gum), George Eastman (Kodak), King Gillette (Gillette man shave), F. W. Woolworth (founder of Woolworth), Wilbur Wright (the brothers that invented the aeroplane), George S. Parker (Parker Pen), Charles M. Schwab (founder of Charles Schwab), John H. Patterson, William Howard Taft, William Jennings Bryan, Clarence Darrow, and many, many others.

Can you imagine someone actually actively researched and analysed for 20 years, the most successful 500 people in the world and distilled their secrets of success into a success philosophy?

Yes, that's exactly what Napoleon Hill had done.

If you think you learn from "Millionaire next door" - from research done by the Thomas Stanley on "ordinary" people with more than $1 million networth and try to find out what they have in common.

You will definitely be swept off your feet when you learn from Napoleon Hill's teachings which is basically "tapping on the secrets of success" of more than 500 not just any ordinary persons, but the 500 most successful people of the times then.

A research of that breadth and depth on success I think might not be repeatable since Napoleon Hill was "helped" by the fact that Andrew Carnegie, then the richest industralist has "access" to thesse most successful people and was able to "personally request" them to give Napoleon Hill all the help and support in his research.

Many of the other books that Napoleon Hill has written (other than Think and Grow Rich) have gone out of print for a long time...and only recently I discovered some of these other books which I have never come across in bookstores in Singapore. (eg. book entitled "The Master Plan to Success" and "The Master-Key to Riches")

To my amazement and excitement is that the work of Napoleon Hill are time tested and remain relevant and helpful to anyone 78 years after it was first released (1928).

And to my amazement, many "successful authors and speakers" including OG Mandino, Anthony Robbins, W. Clement Stone and many others have acknowledged that Napoleon Hill's teachings had a big influence on what they subsequently achieved.

Andrew Carnegie said it best when asked by Napoleon Hill is distribution of his fortune the greatest thing he has to contribute to mankind.

Andrew Carnegie said:"The money I have accumulated I will give away, in due time, through sources that will doe the least amount of harm and the greatest possible good; but my real wealth - that portion of which I wish to give away for the good of mankind - consists of the principles of personal achievement which I'm going to share with you."

I do so with the understanding that you will carry on a continuous research unti you shall have compared my own experiences with the experience of other men whohave been recognised as successes in many fields of endeavour, in order that you may give the world a success philosophy of sufficient flexibility that it will serve the needs of all people, regardless of their calling or purose in life. A sound philosophy of individual achievement must present a clear understanding of the principles that bring success and those that lead to failure."

end quote

My comments:
I am really thankful to Andrew Carnegie and Napoleon Hill who made possible to the world a sound philosophy of individual achievement, truly a legacy they have left behind that will continue to help people who seek and want to learn from it.

Cheers!

Dennis Ng, http://www.HousingLoanSG.com

Quote: Napoleon Hill - whatever your mind can conceive and believe in, you can achieve.

[capcheong]

I am grateful to you for recommending us the 'Law of Success' by Napolean Hill in the 3-day seminar in last Oct.

It enlightens me a lot. I'm now reading his another book 'The Master Key to Riches'. I've been reading a lot of self-improvement books, but none is as comprehensive as his.

I am lucky as I know about the life philosophy NOW. But I must admit that the context is quite classic, which I need time to digest them.

I am contented, happier and have faith in my decisions making and actions.

I know, I am blessed.

Once again, thanks for sharing!

[wemakebread]

Napoleon Hill was my first sifu.
The book "Law of Success" was the turning point in my life.

My personal opinion is that the key idea behind the more recent & highly popular "The Secret", is the same principle from "Think & Grow Rich" and "Law of Success".

In gist, you have to first envision success, in order to achieve it in reality.

I have seen his books in MPH (English version) and Popular (Chinese version) before.

[Dennis Ng]

Napoleon Hill was my first sifu.
The book "Law of Success" was the turning point in my life.

My personal opinion is that the key idea behind the more recent & highly popular "The Secret", is the same principle from "Think & Grow Rich" and "Law of Success".

In gist, you have to first envision success, in order to achieve it in reality.

I have seen his books in MPH (English version) and Popular (Chinese version) before.

I agree. Napoleon Hill is unique becos his works is a result of research on 504 of the most successful people of his times, including Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie....thus what Napoleon Hill did, I don't think anyone can ever have the "fortune" to be able to do so today. (ie. research on 500 most successful people).

He managed to do that becos he had Andrew Carnegie's help to reach out to these 504 people, who gave him an introduction letter to each of them, so that they willing to spend time with Napoleon Hill in his "research".

I've read Think and Grow Rich a few times, once in a while, I would re-read the book...

[Dennis Ng]

just wanted to share some good news with you.

I've been invited to conduct talk in Malaysia for the first time, on 3 Jan 2010, to audience of about 700 people. Attached is the information.

One year ago in Dec 2008 I attended a 4-day seminar conducted by sifu Lin Wei Xian in Singapore.

At that time, I conceived the idea if one day he and I can share the same stage, he talks about making money through businesses while I talk about growing one's money and through personal financial planning....

During one of the tea-breaks, I shared this idea with him....a few months later, this dream became a reality, he invited me to speak in Sep 2009 in Singapore with him....and now he invited me to speak in Malaysia, to introduce me to the Malaysia audience and his students in Malaysia. '

Sifu Lin Wei Xian's Doers Group is the only company authorised to conduct the Mandarin Money & You and he had been teaching Money & You (Chinese) for 10 years since 1999.

CBA really works. ie. Whatever your mind can Conceive and Believe in, you can Achieve.

[alvin]

Book Summary:

“When you begin TO THINK AND GROW RICH, you will observe that riches begin with a state of mind, with definiteness of purpose, with little or no hard work.”

Be success conscious and not failure conscious.

I am the Master of my Fate, I am the Captain of my Soul. We must become money conscious until the desire for money drives us to create definite plans to acquire it.

There are 13 principles that lead to riches:

1) Desire – Strong desire that makes a person determined to accomplish a certain goal. Burn all bridges behind you so you have to do it or perish. There are 6 definite steps to achieve it:

Set a specific amount of money you want
What do you intend to give in return for this amount of money
Set a definite date that you intend to have it
Create a plan to put into action at once
Put the previous 4 steps on paper – black and white
Read what you wrote once before you sleep and once after you are awake. Visualize, feel and believe yourself as being rich as you read.
Dreams are necessary before they can be realized in physical forms. Reach the state of mind, then you are ready to receive what you want.

2) Faith – A state of mind which may be induced, or created, by affirmation or repeated instructions to the subconscious mind, through the principle of auto-suggestion. This is the reason people fail to succeed because they possess negative thoughts in their subconscious minds. Thus, one should pass your desires to the subconscious mind so that it will be translated into physical forms and realities. Formula for Self Confidence:

Believe you have the ability to achieve your goal and demand that you persistently act towards it.
Using 30 mins of each day to visualize the person that you want to become.
Dedicate 10 mins a day to develop self-confidence.
Do not stop trying to attain the goal until you gathered enough self-confidence to attain it.
Love and believe in others besides yourself, so that they will help and believe in you.
3) Auto-suggestion – or self-suggestion. No thoughts can enter the subconscious mind without auto-suggestion. Reading the statement of desire daily is a form of auto-suggestion and it must be done with emotions attached in order for the subconscious mind to register. The price to pay for success is persistence to apply these principles. As you concentrate on visualizing the amount of money you specified, demand a plan from your subconscious mind and act on the plan immediately when it appears. However, do not use your own reasoning when implementing the plan. It is important to visualize yourself rendering the service in return for the money.

4) Specialized Knowledge – General knowledge does not attract money, only organised knowledge with a definite plan and endpoint is able to draw money. First, you need to identify the specialized knowledge you will require which can be determined by the major purpose in your life. Next, you would need to find reliable sources like libraries, night school or courses, where you can increase your specialized knowledge. Paying for a course may be good because it forces you to complete it to make your money worth. Schooling is not able to furnish a person useful knowledge as it is too general and unorganized, thus signing up for additional courses after graduation is necessary.

5) Imagination – Gives shape and form to desire and formulates into plans for action. Synthetic imagination helps one to combine old concepts into new ones. If synthetic imagination is unable to solve a problem, creative imagination is needed to create totally novel ideas. Keep your imagination active as it may weaken if you do not use it. Ideas are products of imagination.

6) Organized Planning – Gather a group of people needed to carry out the plan. This group will be known as the “Master Mind” alliance. In order for them to help you, you need to address the benefits or compensation method for each of them. You would need to meet up with this group at least twice a week until you have formulated a concrete plan. Harmony within the group is paramount to success. The reason to have people to help you is because no one is equipped with sufficient knowledge, skills, ability and experience to acquire large wealth. Plans should be formulated together or at least be approved by the Alliance. It is crucial to have the persistence to continuingly replace failed plans with new plans, until a plan that works. “No man is ever whipped, until he quits in his own mind”. Remember, “A quitter never wins and a winner never quits”.

7) Decision – Lack of decisiveness and often, procrastination, are the major failures to riches. It is necessary for cultivating a habit that “reach decisions promptly and change them slowly”. It is also important not to be influenced by opinions on your decisions as they would not be your own desires. Heed advice only from your “Master Mind” group.

Persistence – One of the major causes of failure where people lacked of it, will give up at the first sign of opposition. By having a stronger desire, it may strengthen your persistence. “With persistence will come success”; “Be persistent no matter how slow you may, at first, have to move.” Having a master mind group helps you to persist when problems arise.
Four steps that will lead to persistence:

A definite purpose backed by burning desire of fulfilment
A definite plan, expressed in continuous action
A mind closed tightly against all negative and discouraging influences
Alliance with people who will encourage one to follow through with plan and purpose
9) Power of the Master Mind – Power has been defined by the author as “organized and intelligently directed knowledge”. Power in turn can be attained from the Master Mind – “Coordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose”. To put it simply, being in a Master Mind group works on the notion that “two or more heads are better than one” with the condition that all heads work in harmony, and will achieve a multiplying effect. “No two minds ever come together without, thereby, creating a third, invisible, intangible force which may likened to a third mind”.

10) Sex Transmutation – Sex is man’s most powerful desire which often drives them to even risk their lives in order to indulge in it. This desire cannot be suppressed but can be diverted to useful channels. Transmutation of sex energy may lift one to the status of a genius, where the mind is functioning at a higher rate of vibration than a normal mind; thereby the person goes beyond ordinary thought with abundance of creative imaginations. High sex drive is actually an ingredient for success! If only the energy is used in other areas, instead of dissipating it physically. However, it does not mean that there should be no sex. The emotion of sex must be balanced with the emotion of love to make the person more sane and reasonable. It is also because the emotion of genuine love lasts longer, if not for eternity, where the person can constantly harness the energy. “Man’s greatest motivation or desire is to please woman” and by “[taking] woman out of their lives, and great wealth will be useless to most men”.

11) The subconscious mind – The subconscious mind cannot be controlled but can be “installed” with your desire or plan into it through autosuggestion. It operates 24 hours daily, recording thoughts voluntarily without your notice. It must be remembered the subconscious mind responds more readily to emotionalized thoughts. Hence, it is important not think of negative thoughts predominantly. The importance of the subconscious mind is that it connects the human mind to infinite intelligence where the answers can be seeked.

12) The Brain – The brain uses the broadcasting principle – Creative imagination is the receiving station where thoughts are received. The brain must be stimulated to a higher degree of vibration in order to be more receptive. One of the stimulants can be brought about by sex transmutation. The substation is the sending station where it must be told what to send before thoughts can be received. Autosuggestion is where one plants the desire into the subconscious mind. It is important to operate your brain in this way.

13) The Sixth Sense – This can only be achieved when the first 12 principles are mastered. The mind receives ideas, plans and thoughts readily. You may call it hunches.

[Dennis Ng]

Book Summary:

“When you begin TO THINK AND GROW RICH, you will observe that riches begin with a state of mind, with definiteness of purpose, with little or no hard work.”

Be success conscious and not failure conscious.

I am the Master of my Fate, I am the Captain of my Soul. We must become money conscious until the desire for money drives us to create definite plans to acquire it.

There are 13 principles that lead to riches:

1) Desire – Strong desire that makes a person determined to accomplish a certain goal. Burn all bridges behind you so you have to do it or perish. There are 6 definite steps to achieve it:

Set a specific amount of money you want
What do you intend to give in return for this amount of money
Set a definite date that you intend to have it
Create a plan to put into action at once
Put the previous 4 steps on paper – black and white
Read what you wrote once before you sleep and once after you are awake. Visualize, feel and believe yourself as being rich as you read.
Dreams are necessary before they can be realized in physical forms. Reach the state of mind, then you are ready to receive what you want.

2) Faith – A state of mind which may be induced, or created, by affirmation or repeated instructions to the subconscious mind, through the principle of auto-suggestion. This is the reason people fail to succeed because they possess negative thoughts in their subconscious minds. Thus, one should pass your desires to the subconscious mind so that it will be translated into physical forms and realities. Formula for Self Confidence:

Believe you have the ability to achieve your goal and demand that you persistently act towards it.
Using 30 mins of each day to visualize the person that you want to become.
Dedicate 10 mins a day to develop self-confidence.
Do not stop trying to attain the goal until you gathered enough self-confidence to attain it.
Love and believe in others besides yourself, so that they will help and believe in you.
3) Auto-suggestion – or self-suggestion. No thoughts can enter the subconscious mind without auto-suggestion. Reading the statement of desire daily is a form of auto-suggestion and it must be done with emotions attached in order for the subconscious mind to register. The price to pay for success is persistence to apply these principles. As you concentrate on visualizing the amount of money you specified, demand a plan from your subconscious mind and act on the plan immediately when it appears. However, do not use your own reasoning when implementing the plan. It is important to visualize yourself rendering the service in return for the money.

4) Specialized Knowledge – General knowledge does not attract money, only organised knowledge with a definite plan and endpoint is able to draw money. First, you need to identify the specialized knowledge you will require which can be determined by the major purpose in your life. Next, you would need to find reliable sources like libraries, night school or courses, where you can increase your specialized knowledge. Paying for a course may be good because it forces you to complete it to make your money worth. Schooling is not able to furnish a person useful knowledge as it is too general and unorganized, thus signing up for additional courses after graduation is necessary.

5) Imagination – Gives shape and form to desire and formulates into plans for action. Synthetic imagination helps one to combine old concepts into new ones. If synthetic imagination is unable to solve a problem, creative imagination is needed to create totally novel ideas. Keep your imagination active as it may weaken if you do not use it. Ideas are products of imagination.

6) Organized Planning – Gather a group of people needed to carry out the plan. This group will be known as the “Master Mind” alliance. In order for them to help you, you need to address the benefits or compensation method for each of them. You would need to meet up with this group at least twice a week until you have formulated a concrete plan. Harmony within the group is paramount to success. The reason to have people to help you is because no one is equipped with sufficient knowledge, skills, ability and experience to acquire large wealth. Plans should be formulated together or at least be approved by the Alliance. It is crucial to have the persistence to continuingly replace failed plans with new plans, until a plan that works. “No man is ever whipped, until he quits in his own mind”. Remember, “A quitter never wins and a winner never quits”.

7) Decision – Lack of decisiveness and often, procrastination, are the major failures to riches. It is necessary for cultivating a habit that “reach decisions promptly and change them slowly”. It is also important not to be influenced by opinions on your decisions as they would not be your own desires. Heed advice only from your “Master Mind” group.

Persistence – One of the major causes of failure where people lacked of it, will give up at the first sign of opposition. By having a stronger desire, it may strengthen your persistence. “With persistence will come success”; “Be persistent no matter how slow you may, at first, have to move.” Having a master mind group helps you to persist when problems arise.
Four steps that will lead to persistence:

A definite purpose backed by burning desire of fulfilment
A definite plan, expressed in continuous action
A mind closed tightly against all negative and discouraging influences
Alliance with people who will encourage one to follow through with plan and purpose
9) Power of the Master Mind – Power has been defined by the author as “organized and intelligently directed knowledge”. Power in turn can be attained from the Master Mind – “Coordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose”. To put it simply, being in a Master Mind group works on the notion that “two or more heads are better than one” with the condition that all heads work in harmony, and will achieve a multiplying effect. “No two minds ever come together without, thereby, creating a third, invisible, intangible force which may likened to a third mind”.

10) Sex Transmutation – Sex is man’s most powerful desire which often drives them to even risk their lives in order to indulge in it. This desire cannot be suppressed but can be diverted to useful channels. Transmutation of sex energy may lift one to the status of a genius, where the mind is functioning at a higher rate of vibration than a normal mind; thereby the person goes beyond ordinary thought with abundance of creative imaginations. High sex drive is actually an ingredient for success! If only the energy is used in other areas, instead of dissipating it physically. However, it does not mean that there should be no sex. The emotion of sex must be balanced with the emotion of love to make the person more sane and reasonable. It is also because the emotion of genuine love lasts longer, if not for eternity, where the person can constantly harness the energy. “Man’s greatest motivation or desire is to please woman” and by “[taking] woman out of their lives, and great wealth will be useless to most men”.

11) The subconscious mind – The subconscious mind cannot be controlled but can be “installed” with your desire or plan into it through autosuggestion. It operates 24 hours daily, recording thoughts voluntarily without your notice. It must be remembered the subconscious mind responds more readily to emotionalized thoughts. Hence, it is important not think of negative thoughts predominantly. The importance of the subconscious mind is that it connects the human mind to infinite intelligence where the answers can be seeked.

12) The Brain – The brain uses the broadcasting principle – Creative imagination is the receiving station where thoughts are received. The brain must be stimulated to a higher degree of vibration in order to be more receptive. One of the stimulants can be brought about by sex transmutation. The substation is the sending station where it must be told what to send before thoughts can be received. Autosuggestion is where one plants the desire into the subconscious mind. It is important to operate your brain in this way.

13) The Sixth Sense – This can only be achieved when the first 12 principles are mastered. The mind receives ideas, plans and thoughts readily. You may call it hunches.

Thanks Alvin for your generous sharing.

This must have taken alot of time to digest what you learned from the book and then summarise them.

Kudos!

[Dennis Ng]

On your path to Financial Freedom, there'll be times you meet with setbacks or when things don't go your way....you might start to waver, or even have doubts about yourselves....How I know? Becos I've been through all these in my own journey towards Financial Freedom...

Let me share with you a song that has helped to motivate and boost my own Belief and Confidence. I listen to this song from time to time to continue to boost my Belief in myself.

Part of the lyrics that really moved my heart and soul is this:

"If I can see it, then I can do if. If I just believe it, there's nothing to it. I Believe I can Fly. I believe I can touch the sky, I think about it every night and day, spread my wings and fly away. I believe I can soar.

I see me running through the open door.

I believe I can fly, I believe I can fly, I believe I can fly!

Here's the song on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7mb102V ... re=related

I read "Think and Grow Rich" in 1999, a year after I decided to leave the bank and strike out on my own. As I look back on my journey since 1999 to now, I realised alot of it was influenced by Napoleon Hill's teachings.

Recently, I came to know more about Napoleon Hill's teachings and the origins, and I've come to this conclusion that Napoleon Hill's works is the result of perhaps the most comprehensive research on success ever done in the past, now and in future.

Why?
Napoleon Hill's research on Success all started when he as a young reporter at the age of 25, had the opportunity to interview Andrew Carnegie in 1908, the Richest industralist in the world then, (who founded the largest steel company in the world ).

This supposedly 3 hour interview with Andrew Carnegie stretched to 3 days and nights. At the end of the interview, Andrew Carnegie asked Napoleon Hill if he would undertake the task of researching on success that would probably require 20 years without any pay.

What would your answer be if you were Napoleon Hill?

I'm sure glad Napoleon Hill said yes. Thereafter, Andrew Carnegie helped arranged for Napoleon Hill to meet and analyse more than 500 most successful people alive then.

These 500 people included Henry Ford (Founder of Ford Motor), John D. Rockefeller, U.S President Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Edison (the famous inventor who invented the light bulb amongst many other inventions, Alexander Graham Bell (who invented the phone), William Wrigley Jr (founder of Wrigley chewing gum), George Eastman (Kodak), King Gillette (Gillette man shave), F. W. Woolworth (founder of Woolworth), Wilbur Wright (the brothers that invented the aeroplane), George S. Parker (Parker Pen), Charles M. Schwab (founder of Charles Schwab), John H. Patterson, William Howard Taft, William Jennings Bryan, Clarence Darrow, and many, many others.

Can you imagine someone actually actively researched and analysed for 20 years, the most successful 500 people in the world and distilled their secrets of success into a success philosophy?

Yes, that's exactly what Napoleon Hill had done.

If you think you learn from "Millionaire next door" - from research done by the Thomas Stanley on "ordinary" people with more than $1 million networth and try to find out what they have in common.

You will definitely be swept off your feet when you learn from Napoleon Hill's teachings which is basically "tapping on the secrets of success" of more than 500 not just any ordinary persons, but the 500 most successful people of the times then.

A research of that breadth and depth on success I think might not be repeatable since Napoleon Hill was "helped" by the fact that Andrew Carnegie, then the richest industralist has "access" to thesse most successful people and was able to "personally request" them to give Napoleon Hill all the help and support in his research.

Many of the other books that Napoleon Hill has written (other than Think and Grow Rich) have gone out of print for a long time...and only recently I discovered some of these other books which I have never come across in bookstores in Singapore. (eg. book entitled "The Master Plan to Success" and "The Master-Key to Riches")

To my amazement and excitement is that the work of Napoleon Hill are time tested and remain relevant and helpful to anyone 78 years after it was first released (1928).

And to my amazement, many "successful authors and speakers" including OG Mandino, Anthony Robbins, W. Clement Stone and many others have acknowledged that Napoleon Hill's teachings had a big influence on what they subsequently achieved.

Andrew Carnegie said it best when asked by Napoleon Hill is distribution of his fortune the greatest thing he has to contribute to mankind.

Andrew Carnegie said:"The money I have accumulated I will give away, in due time, through sources that will doe the least amount of harm and the greatest possible good; but my real wealth - that portion of which I wish to give away for the good of mankind - consists of the principles of personal achievement which I'm going to share with you."

I do so with the understanding that you will carry on a continuous research unti you shall have compared my own experiences with the experience of other men whohave been recognised as successes in many fields of endeavour, in order that you may give the world a success philosophy of sufficient flexibility that it will serve the needs of all people, regardless of their calling or purose in life. A sound philosophy of individual achievement must present a clear understanding of the principles that bring success and those that lead to failure."

end quote

My comments:
I am really thankful to Andrew Carnegie and Napoleon Hill who made possible to the world a sound philosophy of individual achievement, truly a legacy they have left behind that will continue to help people who seek and want to learn from it.

Cheers!

Dennis Ng, http://www.HousingLoanSG.com

Quote: Napoleon Hill - whatever your mind can conceive and believe in, you can achieve.

[lootster]

Another touching song to add to your list...

Go The Distance - Michael Bolton
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgEBBf3gDa4

[brazilian_rosewood]

One of the songs in my motivational playlist: New Radicals - You Get What You Give . An energetic song to get me pumping up !!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL7-CKirWZE